As the health situation improves and the Dubai World Expo is coming to an end, are you planning a next trip to Dubai? If so, this article may be of interest to you. Today, we bring you a detailed article on the different Dubai city passes. The " Dubai City Pass are plentiful in this city, and where many cities only offer one, Dubai offers plenty of opportunities when it comes to tourist passes to visit Dubai and enjoy its many activities.
- All Dubai city passes
- Summary: Which city pass should you choose?
- Questions / Answers about the Dubai city pass
- My opinion on the Dubai city pass
Save on your activities by opting for the Dubai City Pass. View Pass
All Dubai city passes
As I presented to you above, there are many city passes in Dubai. We are going to review the main Dubai tourist passes, detailing their contents, their validity period and their price.
Dubai Explorer Pass
First city pass that we will detail here, the Dubai Explorer Pass. This pass is, by far, the most popular in Dubai to enjoy the main activities that the city offers.
How does the Dubai Explorer Pass work?
Unlike many tourist passes which offer unlimited access to many activities/attractions or museums for a limited time, the Dubai Explorer Pass offers access to a limited number of activities for an (almost) unlimited time.
Indeed, the Dubai Explorer Pass is available in 4 versions: one gives you access to 3 activities; the second with 4 activities; the third to 5 activities; and finally, the last one with 7 activities from a choice of nearly 50 attractions.
It is only possible to do each of the 3, 4, 5 or 7 attractions once but you have 60 days to do these activities. Largely sufficient in the vast majority of cases.
Your Dubai Explorer Pass is activated when you complete your first activity. From this date, you will therefore have 60 days to carry out the rest of your activities.
What does the Dubai Explorer Pass include?
As explained above, you will have the choice between 3, 4, 5 or 7 activities among 49! Here are some of the many activities you will be entitled to:
- Burj Khalifa – At The Top
- Aquaventure water park
- Desert Safari & BBQ Dinner
- Dhow dinner cruise in the marina
- MOTIONGATE™
- LEGOLAND®
- Big Bus HOHO Dubai – 1 day
- Palm Jumeirah en kayak
- BOLLYWOOD PARKS ™
- Lost Chambers Aquarium
- Ski Dubai – Snow Classic
- LEGOLAND® Water Park
- IMG Worlds of Adventure
- The Green Planet
- iFly Dubai Indoor Skydiving
- Ferrari World Abou Dabi
What is the price of the Dubai Explorer Pass?
The prices of the Dubai Explorer Pass change according to the number of activities chosen:
- For 3 activities: €147
- For 4 activities: €186
- For 5 activities: €223
- For 7 activities: €296
Save on your activities by opting for the Dubai Explorer Pass. Buy Pass
Is the Dubai Explorer Pass really worth it?
To find out if the Dubai Explorer Pass is really interesting, let's take two scenarios. The first is the purchase of the city pass including 3 activities, the second is the purchase of 3 activities independently of each other.
For this comparison to be realistic, let's take, of course, the must-see of Dubai, the visit of the Burj Khalifa, an excursion in the desert as well as a water park. Three of Dubai's must-do activities.
| Activities alone | With the Dubai Explorer Pass | |
| Burj Khalifa | €35 | Included |
| Excursion in the desert | €64 | Included |
| Aquaventure water park | €66 | Included |
| TOTAL | €165 | €147 |
For these 3 activities, we can see a difference of around twenty euros. Note that this difference increases depending on the number of activities included in the city pass. Remember that the Dubai Explorer Pass exists in version 3, 4, 5 or 7 activities.
Burj Khalifa – Dubai
Dubai: Unlimited Activities Pass
Let's move on to the second Dubai Pass, the "Dubai Unlimited Pass" or the "Unlimited Activities Pass". A second pass that differs from the Dubai Explorer Pass in its operation.
How does the Dubai Unlimited Pass work?
The operation of the Dubai Unlimited Pass is different from the Dubai Explorer Pass. While for the latter it was necessary to choose a number of activities to be done in a relatively long time, in the case of the Dubai Unlimited Pass it is a duration that will have to be chosen.
Valid for 3 or 5 days, you will have the possibility of accessing any activity in one of the 26 excursions, activities or services.
An ideal pass for those who would like to do as many activities as possible during their stay in Dubai.
Unlike the Explorer Pass, the Dubai Unlimited Pass does not need to be redeemed for a pass. All you have to do is bring the QR Code that will be provided to you when you buy your pass and go to the activity of your choice.
A small thing to note: each start of activity must be separated by one hour. Which shouldn't be a problem.
What does the Dubai Unlimited Pass include?
This pass gives you access to 26 activities, excursions or services.
The list is long and the essentials of Dubai are part of it, such as the Wild Wadi water park, Ski Dubai, the famous desert safari with meals, the hop-on hop-off bus, the unmissable Burj Khalifa, the Dubai Frame or the Lost Chambers Aquarium (water park). You can find the list of activities included in the Dubai Unlimited Pass by clicking here.
What is the price of the Dubai Unlimited Pass?
Of course, given the number of activities offered by this pass, it goes without saying that the price is significantly higher than for the Dubai Explorer Pass.
The price of the Dubai Unlimited Pass is:
- For 3 days: 288€
- For 5 days: 479€
Save on your activities by opting for the Dubai Unlimited Pass. Buy Pass
Is the Dubai Unlimited Pass really worth it?
To answer this question, we will try to identify from how many activities this pass is profitable:
| Activities alone | With the Dubai Unlimited Pass | |
| Burj Khalifa | €35 | Included |
| Excursion in the desert | €64 | Included |
| Wild Wadi Water Park | 69€ | Included |
| iFly Dubai | 50€ | Included |
| Aquaventure | 62€ | Included |
| TOTAL | €280 | €288 |
With this list of activities, we arrive at a similar price between the pass and the activities purchased independently.
If, to this list, you add an activity like Dubai Frame (14€) or the visit of the Aquarium “Lost Chambers” (25€), then it is better to opt for a Dubai Unlimited Pass.
Skiing Dubai
iVenture Dubai Pass
Now let's move on to the third of Dubai's main city passes, the iVenture Pass. iVenture is a name that may speak to you. Indeed, iVenture Card is a specialist in tourist passes around the world and offers them in many cities.
How does the iVenture Dubai Pass work?
The Dubai iVenture Pass works quite similar to the Dubai Explorer Pass. Three versions of the iVenture Pass are available: a version including 3 attractions, 5 attractions or 7 attractions.
Regardless of the number of attractions chosen, you must use this pass (and therefore complete the activities of the pass) within 7 days.
Once your iVenture Dubai Pass has been purchased, you will need to book certain activities in advance.
What does the iVenture Dubai Pass include?
The activities included in the iVenture Dubai Pass are similar to other passes. The must-sees are present, such as Burj Khalifa, Legoland, the Desert Safari, the Wild Wadi water park, the hop-on hop-off bus tour or Dubai Frame to name but a few. You can find the list of activities and attractions included in the iVenture Pass by clicking here.
What is the price of the iVenture Dubai Pass?
The price of the iVenture Dubai Pass is:
- For 3 attractions: €112
- For 5 attractions: €181
- For 7 attractions: €237
Save on your activities by opting for the iVenture Dubai Pass. Buy Pass
Is the Dubai iVenture Pass really worth it?
Let's go back to our comparative table with 3 of the main activities to do in Dubai to find out if this Pass is really profitable.
| Activities alone | With the Dubai iVenture Pass | |
| Burj Khalifa | €35 | Included |
| Excursion in the desert | €64 | Included |
| Aquaventure water park | €66 | Included |
| TOTAL | €165 | €112 |
In this specific case, the iVenture Dubai Pass is really a good deal and will save you a significant amount of money.
Dubai Marina
Tourist bus pass
Last Pass of this guide on Dubai city passes, the "hop-on hop-off bus" pass. The latter is not really an “activities” pass, however it can be considered as a “Transport” pass.
The multiple-stop bus pass is divided into two formulas, one giving you access to the bus for 24 hours, the other for 48 hours.
The hop-on hop-off bus tour offers two routes:
- the first, lasting 1h45, will take you to discover downtown Dubai with stops at all the places of interest in the city,
- the second, lasting 1h30, will take you to the Marina district to the Atlantis Palm.
This pass therefore does not offer access to the activities and attractions of the city but comes in addition to the passes presented above. It will allow you to discover the city as a whole, without difficulty, while benefiting from the comments of a guide. It will also allow you to go to the various places of interest in the city to make your visits.
The hop-on hop-off bus fares are as follows:
- For 24-hour access: €48
- For 48-hour access: €56
Enjoy 24- or 48-hour access to hop-on hop-off buses and these two circuits. Buy Pass
Summary: Which city pass should you choose?
Let's start with a summary table of the different city passes that exist in Dubai:
| Number of activities | Validity period | Price | ||
| Explorer Pass | 3, 4, 5 or 7 | 60 days | From 147 € to 296 € | See pass |
| Dubai Unlimited Pass | unlimited | 3 or 5 days | From 288 € to 479 € | See pass |
| iVenture Dubai Pass | 3,5 or 7 | 7 days | From 112 € to 237 € | See pass |
| Hop-on hop-off bus | - | 24 p.m. or 48 p.m. | From 48 € to 56 € | See pass |
It's time to move on to the conclusion and my opinion on these Dubai city passes.
As a general rule, all these city passes are interesting from a financial point of view. They will, without a doubt, save you money if you use them well.
To know which Dubai city pass to choose, you will have to ask yourself two questions:
- How long are you staying in Dubai?
- What activities and excursions would you like to do?
These answers will determine the choice of your tourist pass.
In case of a stay of about a week and a desire to visit the essentials of Dubai without doing everything, then the Explorer Pass is for me the best option. It has very good ratings on online booking platforms.
If, on the contrary, you are a fan of theme parks such as aqua parks, aquariums, skiing, etc. then opting for a Dubai unlimited Pass can be a good solution.
In both cases, a "hop-on hop-off bus" pass can be a good complement to the pass you have chosen.
Questions / Answers about the Dubai city pass
What are the Dubai Activity Passes?
There are three activity passes for Dubai:- The GO Dubai Explorer Pass: a city pass of 3,4, 5 or 7 activities.
- The Dubai Unlimited Pass: a pass with unlimited access to a large number of excursions and visits, valid for 3 or 5 days.
- The Dubai iVenture Pass: an activity pass valid for 7 days including 3, 5 or 7 activities
What is the price of the Dubai city pass?
- The GO Dubai Explorer Pass costs between 147€ and 296€ depending on the number of activities chosen
- The Dubai Unlimited Pass costs between 288€ and 479€ depending on the duration chosen
- The Dubai iVenture Pass costs between 112€ and 237€ depending on the number of activities chosen
Where to buy the Dubai city pass?
All Dubai city passes are available online on booking platforms like GetYourGuide or Tiqets.What activities are included in the Dubai City Pass?
It all depends on the pass chosen but in the vast majority of cases, we find the essential activities of Dubai which are:- Ticket to Burj Khalifa
- Aquarium « The Lost Chambers »
- Legoland
- Skiing Dubai
- Dubai Marina Dhow Cruise
- Desert Safari with BBQ
- Motiongate™ Dubai
My opinion on Dubai City Passes
City passes are, in general, an essential purchase in my opinion during a city trip. These passes have the particularity of being practical and economical.
In the case of Dubai, there are many city passes. They exist in different versions, some allowing you to make the most of Dubai's activities in a minimum of time and will especially suit water park enthusiasts and all those who do not wish to lose a moment or a crumb of this amazing city.
Other city passes will be more suitable for tourists who come mainly to rest, enjoy the climate of Dubai while not missing anything of the city's must-sees.
In short, given the number of existing city passes in Dubai, one of them is for you. In any case, I strongly recommend that you purchase a city pass if you are planning a stay in the city.
